07/01/2013 Inside Out South West

Have loaned welcome back to Inside Out South West, stories and

investigations from where you do. - - hello and welcome back.

Direct, finish it -- feeding and furnishing - how the South West's

food banks are busier than ever. A just cannot imagine the strain

she must be under. Also tonight, Mike goes under the

covers of the Royal Albert Bridge makeover.

Over the sway you can see Cornwall, and below me is the River Tamar.

And what price progress? The row in Cornwall over the future of our

rare seabed habitat. I passionately believe this dredging is essential

for the port to have a proper feature as a commercial port.

this goes ahead, everyone will be saying, that is bigger than my

development and got the go-ahead, why cannot -- I not do that? I am

Samantha Smith, and this is Inside It is that time of year when many

are recovering from the excesses of Christmas and the New Year, so it

is hard to believe that for some putting food on the table whatever

the season. We have been following one woman doing her bit to make

Another busy day at Woodbridge food bank. Along with her teens she is

feeding the neediest. It is neat, fish, fruit, all sorts

of things. If people think of Cornwall, they think of Padstow and

Weybridge, the affluent areas, every one with lots of money. But

there is a lot of hidden poverty here, which even I did not know

about when I first moved here. Jackie sent up the food back with

members of her local church three years ago, and since then it has

tripled in size. It can happen to any of us.

Suddenly they have no income. All sorts of people come through the

door. He people like Jacqueline who

relocated to Cornwall and cannot find a job. She is signing on for

the first time in her life. The money does not go far enough.

You pay for your power and gas, but you only have �10 left for food,

and you can go so far, but on top of the kids, obviously I have two

dogs, they rely on me, and that is where I am here. I am grateful to

be honest, they will eat tonight. The last place she wanted to be

today was the food bank. I am pleased she did because I am

pleased we could go for some help. For Jacqui, the foodbank's about

more than just putting food on people's plates, it's about helping

them to keep their lives, and their families, together. Something she's

faced herself. My husband and I split up for four

years. I would have ended up a very bitter and twisted lady. The whole

family at risk of blowing apart. But Jacqui found the church and the

people she met there helped her to piece her life and her family back

together. So much of this is family breakdown.

It is difficult when there is not that family basis any more, and

people can just say we will take UN and Notre you through the tough

times. If you haven't got that, it is hard. A member single parent

with five children under six. There are quite active children.

There are difficult days when I Rachael receives no money from the

father of her children and is not in contact with her own family. For

her, a foodbox is a lifeline, for the children, it's like xmas. -- it

is like Christmas. I had no money coming in at all, so I phoned up my

health assistant and asked for a food box.

It is hard, when you have five children, who are in high demand of

clothes, buying the school uniform The foodbank also gives out

furniture to those most in need and today they're bringing a cot to

replace the travel cot of Rachael's youngest To get a foodbox you have

Brian will be placing the trouble quote to the court now. You have

the other two and the other room? Are I have the other two here.

She has three children in this one, two children in the other one, she

keeps the house really well, but I cannot imagine the street she must

To get a food box, you have to be referred by a cure professional,

like a social worker, a GP or the police. That way, the food back

know the people coming to them are in genuine need. In the past year

alone, Jackie has seen a 50% rise in referrals and thinks that is

down to a recent benefit reforms. When you tell the officials your

circumstances have changed everything is stopped instantly.

Then they look at it and reassess what you should be paid. That can

take up to ten weeks, and people in that time are in crisis, and that

is where we come in. What would they do without you?

Go hungry. They wouldn't eat, a lot of the people.

And even if they do find enough money to buy food, there's nothing

left for other essentials like furniture. People placed in

emergency housing get a front door key and that's it. That's the

situation for Bodmin man, Dean Rolph, who's living on his own for

the first time. So this is your bedroom? How long

have you been here living with no furniture?

I have been insured accommodation, -- in shared accommodation, and

after that, it is a big leap. It has been difficult, you know.

Just put it down and I will... Yes. Food is going up and are, and you

have good just bite the nail and come to the food bank if necessary.

It is brilliant, Juno, ideal. I am He had been living in that flat

with just a bed and a TV for almost 18 months, and I thought that was

really sad. Now he is moving on, so I am hopeful he will do well.

Dependency on foodbanks is growing. Some charities, like Oxfam, say

it's wrong that people are forced to choose between paying a bill or

feeding their family, but Cornwall Council argue that food banks are a

necessary back-up. For Jacqui there are no easy answers.

There is a part of me that thinks, no, everything should be provided,

everyone should be able to get enough money to get by. The other

part of me thinks, well, if it is all too easy, then...

Them does everyone strive to get out of the position they are in? I

don't know. We just do it because the need is there.

More than 90% of the food given out by food banks is donated by the

public. Like these local sixth formers who made this large

collection. Working with the community, for the

community, is at the heart of what There you are, sir.

The we pray that they will know we are genuine. That everyone has a

story. That we have not got it also And, as we head into 2013, it looks

like it's going to be an even busier year for the south west's

It's one of the greatest bridges in the World, and it is currently

undergoing the biggest revamp in its history. �12 million is being

spent on The Royal Albert Bridge. But what is actually going on

behind these covers? We've been This looks like it could be any

workshop. But I'm on one of the most spectacular feats of

engineering to exist in this country. This is the only rail

suspension bridge left in the UK. It's undergoing a multi-million

pound refurbishment and it's taking I am off to meet the box.

Pete. He will, Mike.

What is it like working here tonight it is superb.

We worked seven days around the week, and o'clock, the lads working

here, if they did not like it they would not last.

He surely this job cannot be that complicated?

You were joking! This is the most complicated job we have never taken

on, the biggest job I had ever This was Brunel's final project

before he died just a few months after the Prince of Wales

officially opened it in 1859. It took 10 years and an estimated 500

men to build this bridge. The climax was when 40,000 people lined

the banks of the river to watch the two main spans being lifted into

And at the turn of the century, this film opened up Cornwall to

So Brunel built it and has left us with a fantastic monument but boy

does it take some looking after. The scale of the work to be done is

massive. It is estimated they are going to have to carry out around

4,000 repairs, and replace 70,000 rivets.

But a much bigger job the crux of the whole project is about to be

carried out and it's all the way up here. Hello. It is very noisy here.

Yes, let us call up top and out of it. -- go. The stairs go on and on

but we finally get to the top, 50 metres above the water. This is the

top hanger, explain why it is so crucial. We have been swinging and

pivoting on this bolt for 150 years. There is excessive movement. What

are you going to do here? All the section that is highlighted gets

the removed and is replaced with the structural steel. That nut is

as big as my head, the largest I have ever seen. I have got to go

all the way back down and back up again. It is a good job I am fit

and not scared of heights. This has to be the best view in the whole of

the South West. Over there is Devon. Over this way you can see Cornwall.

Down below me is the river. How do you get the Tube? We go into this

access hatch. It is a scramble getting in here and in this

confined space these hard hats are crucial. Here we are. That is

astonishing. What an amazing piece of Engineering. Why is it Oval?

This is the optimum shape. A sphere it is the strongest Engineering

wise. That is why it has lasted so long. I cannot believe I am

actually inside the bridge. very few people have been in here.

The tube is 280 metres long and contains an incredible 200,000

rivets. How often do you come in here? On a daily basis. Here is the

nub of the top hanger. I would have had my head on the other side of

this? I absolutely. I gather you have something else quite

astonishing to show me here. I have, walk this way. This board has been

here since the one. As you can see people have been scribbling on it.

Said and Eddie 1972. The Association of Railway assistant

engineers inspected best on 13th October 1928. That is amazing. I

will put you to work, let's go. have not been put to work just yet.

First it is time for a peak and his crew to remove dead bolt I have

just had my head against. After 150 years it will take more than a can

of WD 40 to shift it. Sometimes it is just a question of brute force.

But this is a lot tougher than just Eventually, the shift it. Well that

is the pen that has not seen delight of day for 150 years.

it is out with the Auld and on with the new. The piece slots in like a

glove and absolutely perfect fit. Now it is time for me to earn my

dinner. My job is baulk type Now. - - bolt tightener. Nothing to this

bridge-building lark. Where was I? That pain is redundant now because

of all the other new fixings. Put it back in there for a second so

that it looks a original and as was. That is a job well done. It is all

in the attention to detail. Congratulations. How much more work

have you got to do. We have around 40% to complete for the whole

project. And how long until this has to be done all over again?

in our lifetime. The Bridges as good as new. Our children's

children? Maybe so. The bridges strong enough to take over 400 tons

worth of a modern mainline train. Let's hope the work being carried

out, let's not forget I helped out in just a small way, could keep

this bridge up and running for another 150 years. We live in a

beautiful part of the world. We have been down to Cornwall to see

something of a test case in a tussle between the environment and

progress. The calm waters of Falmouth they show no sign of the

row that has been swirling around here for six years. If we were

talking about the last Oakwood land in England which I think this is

equivalent to, everybody would understand. I passionately believe

that this dredging is essential for the port to have a proper future.

Now a ground-breaking scientific trial is under way which could play

a key role in deciding the future of Falmouth as a port. It has the

third deepest natural harbour in the world and attracts thousands of

tourists every year. Some arrive on cruise ships and go on to visit

local shops, restaurants and trips to other parts of the region.

the shipping world, bigger is better. Today's cruise liners are

being built much bigger than this and the need deeper water than the

harbour can offer. For now they have to anchor out in D-Day and

ferry their passengers in, or, seal on past. Deport needs to dredge in

order to make sure it has a reliable future as a port. The need

to improve the port to meet the needs of modern shipping or leave

the irreversible decline of the port. But others who rely on the

waters around here say the plant dredge is not endear interest. This

man harvests native oysters. He is worried that silt will damage the

oyster beds. To say it has no impact on the fishery and the

benefit would be jobs created at the docks, you could use a

substantial part of the South Cornwall fishing fleet out in the

bay and within the oyster fleet. Opposition to the dredge is not

warmly about the fish stocks. Unlikely as it seems, it is

actually this stuff that is proving one of the biggest stumbling blocks

to development. It can take thousands of years to form one of

the busiest underwater habitats. This is what it looks like when it

is alive. Falmouth Bay is the only place in England where it grows in

abundance. It is protected by European legislation. It is

protected because it is beautiful to look at, it is a rare and

threatened species. All saw what it provides for other marine life, it

has a coral like structure which gives mixed and crannies for other

marine life to live among. If we lose this habitat we will lose a

lot of biodiversity. This marine biologist and part-time fishermen

has been campaigning against the dredge for six years. If we were

talking about the last hope would land in England people would

understand. It is C Reid, on the seabed, a lot of people because

they cannot see it think why should they care about it. -- C Reid. --

seaweed. As part of the dredge some of it will be removed from the

seabed and relayed within 24 hours. Some say this will not damage the

habitat. Much of it is actually dead. What we have is a five or 10%

amount of live structure. It is not the high-density bed that we were

considering. In an experiment believed to be the first of its

kind, they will study the seabed where it is delayed for six months

to see how well the habitat recovers. As far as we are aware no

one has attempted this anywhere else in the world. What we can

learn from our experiences, the data and scientific work may well

be applicable elsewhere in the UK and in the world. The experiment

does not satisfy it all campaigners. In the full scale dredge they will

be draining an area that is 6,000 times larger. We will have a huge

amount of silt in the water. It is known to be very vulnerable to that.

This will affect recovery. number of campaigners have

questioned the environmental credentials. In the past it was

harvested for use as a fertiliser despite the harbour being a special

area of conservation. I have raised that point. We were told relatively

recently that the harbour commissioners were licensing be

distraction -- extraction of this, do you regret that happen for so

long? We recognise the right of existing activities to carry on. If

that had historically been carried out then it would be generally

compatible with the designation. The Harbour Commissioners

eventually stopped the dredging. Now they hope the we will be

cleared for the main dredge. The is no doubt that the regulator is

extremely well tuned in to the questions and concerns that have

been raised. They will be explored before arriving at a decision. I

believe this dredging is important for the port to have a proper

future as a port. It is essential for the community in the local area.

Campaigners fear that if the scheme goes ahead in Falmouth it will

clear the way for other such things in environmentally sensitive area

is. Nothing else in a conservation area to be bigger than this. If it

goes ahead people will say that is bigger than my development and it

got the go-ahead so why can I not do what I want to do? The results

are expected in a few months' time. It could be a good deal longer

before or massive cruise liners and container ships are seen in these